Disney has ruined my vacation...

[Sandyincanada]

lol, sorry Op...one more, know that Punta Cana was mentioned...thought you might want to see these, Vossjemi. One of the top beaches in the world....we were there in July

Punta Cana

 

[ANTSS2001]

You just cant help it.. you tend to compare all those prices and then go back to WDW planning. Well this April we just plan to relax which we have started when we went there last January. No more early morning and alot of late nights! Crowds don't bother us anymore. Just eating ice cream infront of the castle is enough for me while my family go everywhere. A trip to WDW can be very relaxing too if you plan on it

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

Yes you will be able to enjoy other vacations I promise you! The sad thing is that Disney is actually pretty expensive when compared to all-inclusive resort trips to Mexico or the DR. (Sorry thats my travel agent sister's influence coming out now. ) But I do have the same problem! Disney is just so FUN that my husband and I, when presented with other choices, just about always chose Disney! Though when we go elsewhere we have a blast! The planning for other vacations might be less fun but once you get out you'll enjoy yourself!

 

[annabelle]

OMgoodness... those Punta Cana pictures are gorgeous!!! I need to get there NOW!

 

[MGMarco]

I was there a couple of months ago and there was a three or four day pass that let you into SDC, celbration city, and the water park. we went twice to SDC, once to celebration, and one day at the water park. SDC is well themed and is a good alternative for entertainment. There is plenty of shopping, and other entertainment.
I dont think we spent $500 for a 4 day trip.

 

[vossjemi]

Sandy & Annabelle, my DH would call you bad influences! He hates all the planning, just likes the doing. Grumbles about it until we get there, and then Ahhhhh, he loves it. ha ha. We try to do 2 vacations a year (1 without kids/1 with kids). We did a cruise by ourselves in jan and this sept we're doing disney cruise/MK with the kids. Since we did 2 Cruises this year, I can definitely see a beach trip in our plans next year! But, then you never know. We may end up loving Disney so much that we have to go back...for the kid trip anyway! ha ha.

And, for the OP, I do see many trips to SDC in my future this year! We got our season passes early and my kids can't wait til it opens! Also, around here we don't call it Silver Dollar City. Its "Steal your Dollar" City. LOL. We always bring a double stroller, but you can rent them if you need them. And, I pack a small soft side cooler in the bag underneath with drinks and snacks so we don't have to spend a ton of $ in the park. I've been going to SDC since I was 8 years old....and some of the same park personnel are there almost 30 years later! I remember one guy used to tease me when I was a kid saying he was going to bring me home so I could plow his field. Well, he still works there and still remembers me, and now he teases my kids. I really do love SDC, and when my youngest kids were breastfeeding, SDC has a building where you can go in and sit in a rocking chair and nurse your baby. I thought that was wonderful.

 

[angel*lady]

I know what you mean about Disney spoiling it for you! In a few weeks we are going on a Costa Cruise. I know we will have a great time but it just won't be the same as being on DCL. When I found out that the Disney ship will be in port at the same time we are in St. Thomas I thought ... hmmm ... what if we "accidentally" got on the wrong ship! The next cruise will definately be Disney but this one was such an incredible deal we just couldn't pass it up! Fortunately, I only live 2 hours from WDW so I will get my Disney fix on land!

 

[tifandjim]

I have been to WDW every year since I was 11 (with the exception of 2004, since we were cancelled by Hurricane Frances), and I could not imagine going on any other vacation. My DH thought I was crazy until we got married and I insisted on going to WDW on our honeymoon. After that, he was hooked and we go every year! HAHA! My DH friend and his family went one time, since we told them all about our trips. When they returned, they said they were glad they went, but would never go again! I think that some people are just "Disney People", and others are not... oh, well.

Also, about SDC, we used to have SDC about an hour from us, in Pigeon Forge, TN. Now it is Dollywood. We get SP for Dollywood, and go frequently, but it is NOTHING compared to WDW! The only reason we even go to Dollywood is because it is so close, and it is somewhere we can go for just a day trip!

 

[vossjemi]

Here is an interesting article from our local paper about SDC's new ride, Powder Keg.

http://www.news-leader.com/_saturday/20050312-Launchedlikearo.html

http://www.news-leader.com/_saturday/keg0312.jpg

http://www.news-leader.com/_saturday/index_new.shtml

 

[marcyinPA]

I hear ya! For the money we've spent in the past in Ocean City MD for a week, we could have gone to Disney!! When hotdogs are $3 on the Boardwalk, what's the difference???

We can't go to Disney this year because DH changed jobs and gets no vacation time yet, so we are taking Memorial Day weekend and going to Washington DC for two nights. I want to get away SOMEWHERE, but it's just not Disney!!

Oh, Well!

 

[drakethib]

We went to WDW in December 2004 and stayed onsite at Pop Century with the $55/night code. Bought our tickets through Hotwire and used meal vouchers,too. It was our 1st visit and we had a blast.

Now, we're trying to plan a summer vacation to Branson MO and I am having a hard time doing it. Disney has RUINED me!!

I've realized that we are going to spend MORE money (because there are no comparable discounts) than if we were to go to Disney. So my heart's not in planning this trip at all!

We'll have to pay $40 to $50 a day to go to Silver Dollar City and all I can think of is, "...for that money, we could go to WDW (on multi-day passes).

Will I ever be able to enjoy a non-Disney vacation again????

I had alaways wanted to go to Las Vegas so I talked my wife into in. We stayed at the Paris. From there the scond leg of our trip we flew to Phoenix at stayed at the Arizona Biltmore resort.

The whole time when we were in Vegas and at the Biltmore, we kept saying to each other "Man Disney has buldings like this, Disney would not let people act like this, Disney this, Disney that".

We got home the following week and became DVC members the following week.

We are done with everything else.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

For anyone heading to Branson who has kids that like The Track they have an on-line Easter special. Go to: www.bransontracks.com
I got 20 tickets for $12. A great deal and they are good all season. We are spending Easter at the lake and the bunny is leaving the tickets!

 

[RichWally]

Yes you will be able to enjoy other vacations I promise you!

OMG.
<-- Pulse racing, hands sweaty....
What is this foreign concept of "other vacations"???
When you say other do you mean Disney Land instead of WDW ???
Or staying off propoerty instead of a Disney Resort?

 

[firetaz]

We have been to Disney 4 times as a family (DW, DD13, DS10, DD8) and one time on our 15th anniversary. We have been other places and enjoyed ourselves, but NOTHING COMPARES TO DISNEY! Our last trip included both sets of parents, my brother, sister-in-law, and neice. DW's parents are going back with us in Nov to celebrate DD's 9th birthday as they understand and appreciate our compulsion to do Disney. My parents seemed not as impressed as Dad complained about prices, waits, etc. Mom wants to go back, but Dad is fighting her. I think some people fall in love with the magic and other don't. Too bad for them!




Nov 1996 - AS Music
Mar 1998 - POFQ
Dec 2002 - POR
Dec 2004 - POP Grand Gathering
Jan 2005 - POP (Anniversary - without kids)
Nov 2005 - POP (DD's 9th Birthday with Pooh Bear)

 

[polkadotladybug]

Add me to the list!

We tried to do a cheapo vacation (really just a long weekend) last summer - we took the girls to Charlotte, NC and went to Carowinds for the day. I commented several times that it was NOTHING like Disney (of course I never thought it would be, but was amazed at HOW different it was!) - everything was cheesy - seemed like every third person was smoking like a chimney - the staff was poorly trained and inattentive - even the characters lacked "emotion" when you went up to them! EWWWW - yuck!

 

[Trixiezzz]

Hi, I'm the OP and THANKS for your many suggestions on making our Branson trip better!!

I've called and ordered tickets to The Track and got on the Branson board and found a few other money savers for shows, too!

And, I didn't mean to imply that I don't like Branson. This will be our 3rd trip there and we LOVE it there. It's so clean and people are friendly and not pushy.

It's just that trying to keep 2 kids, a husband and my mother "entertained" for an entire day is costly compared to a Disney trip where we buy our park passes and *boom* entertainment's all taken care of!

We're limited to how much walking we can do, so we're doing the Branson Belle AND Dixie Stampede and shows, etc.

If we could just go commando-style at SDC I'm sure we could really get our money's worth! But we have to do slower things and so it's all adding up!

But now we've moved our "winter" WDW trip up to September, so I'm back in the swing planning our "real" vacation and having a blast!!!